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21-793: The Russell Collection is a substantial collection of early keyboard instruments assembled by the British harpsichordist and organologist Raymond Russell . It forms part of the Musical Instrument Museums collection of the University of Edinburgh , and is housed in St Cecilia's Hall . Its full name is the Raymond Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments . Raymond Russell , a British harpsichordist and organologist , bought his first historic keyboard instrument in 1939. Over

42-519: A baroque orchestra from the instrument. Harpsichord, like other art music instruments, is typically studied in a post-secondary university or music conservatory program, leading to a diploma or degree. As harpsichord playing requires an extensive knowledge of Baroque performance practice (regarding realizing figured bass parts, adding ornaments, playing with correct style and articulation), harpsichordists may take courses in Baroque music history. There

63-434: A vocal coach or choir conductor ( George Malcolm (1917–1997) was a harpsichordist and choirmaster). A harpsichordist with an advanced knowledge of orchestral music and conducting might become a conductor, in the Baroque tradition, in which the conductor leads from the keyboard, like Trevor Pinnock . Robert Goble Robert Goble (1903–1991) was an English harpsichord builder. The son of Harriet and John Goble,

84-540: A French double harpsichord by Jean Goermans and Taskin, purchased from Maud Russell in 1974 – bringing the total number to twenty-one. The instruments in the collection represent the five principal geographical areas or national schools of harpsichord-making – England, Flanders, France, the German-speaking world and the Italian peninsula – and more than two hundred years of the history of the craft. English instruments in

105-530: A wheelwright, he grew up in Thursley , Surrey. He first encountered pioneering early-instrument-maker Arnold Dolmetsch and his family in the autumn of 1917, when they took refuge from London air raids by renting a small house in Thursley before settling in nearby Jesses, Haslemere . He was later taken on by Dolmetsch as an assistant. In 1928, a music scholarship from Dolmetsch went to Elizabeth Brown, of Liverpool , who

126-490: A wider range of early music, and they may study the fortepiano , a forerunner to the modern piano. With the exception of joining a Baroque orchestra, most harpsichord jobs are likely to be contracts for individual concerts or a series of concerts. Like other Classical and Baroque instrumentalists, harpsichordists may also teach their instrument, either in private lessons or at a university or conservatory. A harpsichordist with an advanced knowledge of singing may be able to become

147-410: Is a tradition for some harpsichordists, dating back to Thurston Dart (1921 –1971) to combine historical musicology research and harpsichord playing. Since a professional Baroque keyboard player may be asked to play some pieces on pipe organ or portative organ ( Ton Koopman is an example of a harpsichordist/organist), harpsichordists may also study organ. Some harpsichordists develop an interest in

168-614: The Goble family included George Malcolm and Thurston Dart . Beginning in the 1920s, Gavin Williamson and Philip Manuel also helped popularize the harpsichord through concert tours, and were the world's only full-time harpsichord duo, known as Manuel and Williamson, performing throughout North American and Europe. They had studied for many years with Wanda Landowska both in France and in New York. In

189-535: The authentic practices of the earlier period, following the research of such scholar-builders as Frank Hubbard and William Dowd . This generation of performers included such players as Isohlde Ahlgrimm , Ralph Kirkpatrick , Igor Kipnis , and Gustav Leonhardt . More recently, many outstanding harpsichordists have appeared, such as Scott Ross , Trevor Pinnock , Kenneth Gilbert , Christopher Hogwood , Jos van Immerseel , Ton Koopman , Gary Cooper , David Schrader , and John Butt , with many of them also directing

210-634: The 1930s Manual and Williamson made the first recordings of the Bach multiple-keyboard concerti with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the duo also gave the American premiere performance of Bach's Concerto in C major for two harpsichords. In addition, they gave American premieres of many works of Couperin and Rameau, among other composers. The next generation of harpsichordists were pioneers of modern performance on instruments built according to

231-546: The 25 years the workshop sent off about 700 keyboard instruments. In about 1970, the historically informed performance movement caught up with him. Authenticity of sound was demanded, and this meant abandoning the search for improvement of previous decades and returning to the baroque models. But this was to be his son's task. The continuity of the firm was assured by his son Andrea and the addition of his grandson Anthony Goble. The harpsichord played by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos on her 1996 album Boys For Pele and

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252-547: The business, and Paul, born in 1933, became a painter. During the Second World War , he went to work in a Gosport boatyard, making motor torpedo boats , and then at the branch of the Admiralty that was based at Haslemere, where he made apparatus for radar research. In 1947, he moved to Headington , on the outskirts of Oxford , to a house with space for a large workshop. After his son Andrea left school to work with him,

273-448: The career of the influential reviver of the instrument, Wanda Landowska . At this stage of the 'harpsichord revival', players generally used harpsichords of a heavy, piano-influenced type made by makers such as Pleyel ; the revival of the instrument also led some composers to write specifically for the instrument, often on the request of Landowska. An influential later group of English players using post-Pleyel instruments by Thomas Goff and

294-578: The collection include: There are four Flemish harpsichords in the collection, all made in Antwerp : The two French instruments are: There are two North German instruments, both made in Hamburg by Johann Adolph Hass : an unfretted clavichord dating from 1763, and a single-manual harpsichord made in 1764. There is also a small German triple-fretted clavichord from about 1700. Instruments from Italy include: Harpsichordist Many baroque composers played

315-558: The firm of Robert Goble & Son came into being, making recorders (for the first five years), spinets , clavichords and harpsichords . His wife often decorated the soundboards. At this period of the early instrument revival, harpsichord builders were interested in updating the instrument, not only adding more features such as a low 16' set of strings and pedals to change the registers. They were also keen to find new materials to build with, such as metal and plastic, and new methods of manufacture like those used in piano construction, so

336-411: The harpsichord, including Johann Sebastian Bach , Domenico Scarlatti , George Frideric Handel , François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau . At this time, it was common for such musicians also to play the organ , and all keyboard instruments , and to direct orchestral music while playing continuo on the instrument. Modern harpsichord playing can be roughly divided into three eras, beginning with

357-550: The instrument could be made to stand up to the demands of concert touring with a robustness not found in historical instruments . Goble produced his first concert model in 1952, which was a success. Further improvements were made and his harpsichords were played by noted musicians, such as Millicent Silver ; they were exported to Australia, the Netherlands and the United States. The workforce remained small; seven at its highest. In

378-616: The instruments in detail in his book The Harpsichord and Clavichord: an Introductory Study , published in 1959. By 1960 Russell had decided to donate his collection to Edinburgh University , where it was to become the nucleus of a centre for research in keyboard performance practice and organology, but this plan was not completed by the time of his sudden death in Malta in 1964 at the age of forty-one. Later that year, in his memory and in accordance with his wishes, his mother Maud Russell donated almost all of his collection – nineteen instruments – to

399-546: The next twenty years he assembled a considerable collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century clavichords and harpsichords . His collection included instruments from all the main harpsichord-building areas of Europe: a number of English spinets ; early harpsichords and virginals from Italy; Flemish instruments by the Ruckers ; a late French instrument by Pascal Taskin ; and a clavichord and harpsichord from North Germany, both by Johann Adolph Hass . Russell described many of

420-459: The university; the donation also included his notes and his collection of documentary photographs. The collection was housed in St Cecilia's Hall in Edinburgh, which opened as a museum in 1968. The opening recital was given by Gustav Leonhardt . The university bought two further instruments from Russell's collection – an English double harpsichord by Jacob Kirckman , bought at auction in 1970, and

441-474: Was to become Goble's wife in 1930; he survived her by 10 years. She was primarily a keyboard player; she later became a player of the bass viol . In the late 1930s he set up independently, making recorders and furniture. He also made a harpsichord for his wife, using a plucking mechanism that he had invented and was to patent; though it was not practical in the long run and he did not take it further. He had two sons: Andrea, born in 1931, followed his father into

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